The Sherbrooke Bride (Bride Series Book 1) - Historical Romance Novel for Weddings, Book Clubs & Relaxing Reads

I'll be honest and say that I didn't have high hopes for this book which is the reason I kept putting off reading it. I'm also not a fan of men (of which there are a few) who have multiple children out of wedlock, nor stories where the hero wants the stunningly beautiful sister but instead gets stuck with the other one (who is pretty enough but pales in comparison) which basically sums this story up in a nutshell.I nearly quit after the first couple of chapters and thought there was no way this book was worthy of more than two stars. I'm so very glad I pushed on though because believe it or not it does improve and by the halfway mark I was literally hooked and could barely pull myself away. I laughed, smiled, raged, and even cried at one pivotal point. I just experienced a riot of emotions, some good and others not so much. Either way my feelings were engaged and I ended up truly caring about everyone in this story, especially Alexandra.She gave Douglas a good chase and also gave as good as she got. He on the other hand was way too high-handed and acts like a jerk more often than not. However, his bark was much worse than his bite and although he threatens to beat dear Alex multiple times, he never laid a hand on her that I can recall. Strangely enough I wound up really liking him too, which is something I never imagined I'd say when this book first began.The women were definitely the best part of the entire story though. From Alexandra herself to her sister Melissande (who I initially hated) to Sinjun (Douglas's sister) they were all so unique and each one of them won me over. Ms. Coulter's heroes are almost always another matter though and while I'm not a violent person, some of these men (Douglas, his brother, and cousin) made me want to smack them upside the head more times than I care to count.For all that though I still thoroughly enjoyed this story. It does have an old school feel to it but thankfully the reader is not treated to any distasteful rape scenes. There is a rape sub-plot though and other elements that keep it from being politically correct.I could have done without the word "twit" being thrown around so loosely, as well as the many gratuitous sex scenes. Those don't really come into play until about midway, but after that they seemed to occur one right after another and pretty much all felt the same. Other than those issues and the fact that Douglas took way too long to open his eyes to the wonderful wife he had, it was surprisingly good.I'm so happy I took a chance on it and really wish I'd read it sooner now. I was leery from reading the top two negative reviews though, and while it took a handful of chapters to finally pull me in, boy did it ever. The entire story was fast paced and just a really fun read, although definitely frustrating at times too. In the end I thought the love between Alex and Douglas was worth all the heartache and drama though =)Oh yeah, and there's a ghost...Setting: 1803, EnglandAges: Alexandra (18) Douglas (28)Pages & Kindle Locations: The story ended at 100% on page 409 and location 5462.